


One More Reset

by darkershadesworktoo



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Badass Sans (Undertale), Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sans (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Spoilers - Undertale Genocide Route
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-06 01:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19052371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkershadesworktoo/pseuds/darkershadesworktoo
Summary: Sans knows that time keeps resetting, but he remembers so little that he's helpless to fix things. Still, maybe he can try.





	One More Reset

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I know Undertale came out like 5 years ago but I just bought the game and I really wanted to write something for it so dammit I'm posting this anyways you can't stop me.  
> Also this is my first Undertale fic.  
> Also also let me know what you think :)

Sans should have seen it coming. When they first started getting reports of the anomaly, he should’ve ended things. How? He wasn’t sure. But seeing the reports of the timeline jumping all around, seeing them suddenly vanish from existence… he should have done more. Gaster would have done more.

              Maybe it was for the best that he didn’t do more. Gaster died trying to do more. Gaster was wiped from most people’s memories because of it. Not even Papyrus remembered him. Sans only remembered bits and pieces. His own brother was ripped from existence. And he couldn’t even mourn properly because nobody remembered him. Papyrus noted the change in Sans’ demeanor, but he didn’t know the cause, so his attempts to comfort fell flat. The resets kept happening, but Gaster stayed gone through all of it. It was infuriating to know he was helpless, and it jaded Sans more than he liked to admit.

              The Gaster accident left Sans with an ability to teleport and immense magical strength. He resented himself for it. He got teleportation abilities, and his brother got ripped at the seams and shattered throughout reality. He didn’t deserve it.

              Sans stopped trying after that. He stopped showing up to work and spent most of his days locked up in his room, much to the dismay of Papyrus. Alphys managed to convince him to come to the lab after a while and told him to take any of Gaster’s things that he wanted. After Sans, Alphys remembered the most about Gaster. She knew that Sans had worked closely with him and offered him her condolences. She was the only one who did. She also offered Sans a job with her, but they both knew he would decline. All he took with him was a photo album and blueprints to some of Gaster’s old experiments.

              Alphys tried to convince Sans to stay and have pizza with her, maybe watch some old human movies, but Sans declined and left quickly. He could feel Alphys staring at him as he left but chose to ignore it. He knew she meant well, but he didn’t want to be in the lab that took his brother away from him.

              Sans actually took it a step further by convincing Papyrus to move to Snowdin. It was as far away from New Home as he could possibly get. Papyrus agreed eagerly, hoping that the move would help raise his brother’s spirits. The citizens of Snowdin took to them well enough. Papyrus’s optimism and exuberance make him popular with the younger citizens. They always begged for Papyrus to take them on his adventures.

              It took a little bit longer for Snowdin to get used to Sans. He spent most of his time in the corner of Grillby’s making dumb jokes or locked away in the house. He didn’t see the point in making friends when he knew things would just reset anyway. He still read Papyrus his bedtime stories and made sure the bills were paid, but he did very little for himself.

              Papyrus finally cornered him after breakfast one day.

              “Sans! Undyne told me there is a job opening as a sentry! I think you would be GREAT for it!” Papyrus suggested.

              “thanks, bro, but i don’t think i’m interested. a sentry job seems like it would get a little **bone** -ly,” Sans answered jokingly as he did the dishes. There was no reaction from his brother. Papyrus stayed silent for a moment, fidgeting with his scarf.

              “Sans…” Papyrus started, voice soft and laced with concern. “You would tell me if something was wrong, right?” Sans was glad he wasn’t looking at his brother, because his smile dropped at that.

              “of course, bro,” Sans assured him seriously, keeping his eyes trained forward.

              “You haven’t seemed yourself lately. I am… concerned. But I trust you, brother! I know that you would tell me if something was wrong! So, everything must be okay! I am going to train with Undyne today! I will let her know you are not inter-”

              “tell her i’ll take the job,” Sans cut in, finally turning around to face his brother. Papyrus’s face lit up, and he pulled his older brother into a tight hug, swinging him around excitedly.

              “Yes! Now we can BOTH hunt for humans! This will be wonderful, Sans! I must let Undyne know IMMEDIATELY!” Papyrus dropped Sans and ran out of the house. Sans chuckled to himself for a moment before sinking to the floor. His smile faded, and he let a single tear fall. He had made Papyrus worried for him. He took a deep breath and grounded himself. Papyrus didn’t know about the resets. He couldn’t understand why Sans had been acting so differently. Sans would need to make a point to behave more casually around his brother.

              So, Sans took the job. It turns out he was expected to man the sentry stations at Snowdin, Waterfall, and Hotland. Oh well. At least Sans could teleport. It couldn’t be that hard.

              It wasn’t that hard. It was, however, rather **bone** -ly being right outside the Ruins by himself all day. He spent a lot of time humming, thinking of jokes, and napping. The resets were less common, and Sans started to hope for a better future. He made friends with the regulars at Grillby’s, and he got a side job performing comedy at MTT. He wondered if Alphys had anything to do with that. He still had his _other_ job, but it was so rare that the Underground needed his services that he wondered if Asgore even remembered he held the title.

Things were looking up for Sans, but then he made a stupid promise to some stupid woman in the stupid Ruins. He promised to watch over any human that came out of the Ruins. Honestly, he agreed assuming the situation would never arise. The moment they came stumbling out, shaken and nervous and timid about everything, Sans regretted ever agreeing. He felt the determination radiating off of them from the moment they tumbled into the snow. He should’ve killed them where they stood, but he really liked the woman behind the door. He was also hopeful that he could put an end to things peacefully. He was never one for fighting. Maybe the anomaly just needed some happiness.            

              And maybe it worked. Sans couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that eventually, the human that stumbled out was… different. He would never forget those eyes. When he first locked eyes with _them,_ the first thing he noticed was the crazed look in _their_ red eyes. Then he noticed the dust. Dust completely coated _their_ striped sweater.

              Sans gave a few warnings in Snowdin. He let _them_ know he knew _they_ weren’t human. After _they_ blew through Papyrus’s puzzles without attempting them, Sans realized he should’ve ended this sooner. He stopped _them_ right before Snowdin town.

              “if you keep going the way you are now, you’re gonna have a bad time.” The threat was clear. Given _their_ reaction, he didn’t think he had ever fought the kid before. If he had, _they_ wouldn’t be shocked by the change in demeanor. He must have never shown this side of himself to them before. _They_ seemed slightly shaken by the threat, and, for just a moment, Sans saw a glimpse of brown in those haunting red eyes. Just a slight hint that _their_ humanity wasn’t completely gone yet. Maybe _they_ still had some good in _them_.

              _They_ killed his brother. Papyrus welcomed _them_ with open arms, eager to be _their_ friend, and _they_ murdered him. Papyrus. The kindest person Sans knew. The only constant in his disastrous life. Sans didn’t handle it well. He went back to his house as calmly as he could, being sure to lock the door behind him. Once he was sure he was alone, he sank to his knees. Why would _they_ kill Papyrus? Papyrus, who had never once threatened _them_ after all this time. Papyrus, who didn’t have a violent bone on his skeleton. Sans slammed his fist to the ground and struggled not to cry. He still had a job to do.

              It was too late for Papyrus, but maybe Sans could save the others. Alphys had begun helping monsters to safety once word got out about the human killing everything in _their_ path. He still had a chance. He knew _they_ must be close to Asgore at this point, so he decided to meet _them_ in the castle. He was finally going to do his job.

              You couldn’t say Sans wasn’t fair. He hated fighting, and he especially hated doing his job, so he tried to give _them_ as many opportunities as possible to be a better person. _They_ just didn’t try. _They_ were set on killing everyone. It didn’t matter how many opportunities Sans gave _them_.

              “do you wanna have a bad time? cause if you take another step forward… you are REALLY not going to like what happens next.” One last warning. One last chance to be a better person. It was useless.

              “welp. sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises.” The fight wasn’t easy. Sans understood how _they_ managed to beat Undyne. Sans didn’t need to win. He just couldn’t lose.

              The kid wasn’t going to go down easily. Sans threw attack after attack at _them_ , but _they_ always survived. Sometimes it was only with one or two HP, but _they_ survived nonetheless. And _they_ weren’t afraid to swing that knife, either. Sans couldn’t remember the last time he had put so much energy into a fight. It was exhausting, and Sans knew he could only take one hit. If _they_ landed even one hit, Sans would die. Not that the thought really scared him anymore. Still, he had a job to do. Asgore was counting on him.

              Sans didn’t know how long he had been fighting. He was sweating and struggling to catch his breath, but that was to be expected given how long it had been since he had properly trained. He wondered how much longer he could survive. As he teleported to avoid another attack, he thought back to his threat in Snowdin, before Papyrus…. Before everything went wrong.

              “i know you didn’t answer me before, but… somewhere in there. i can feel it. there’s a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might have even been… a friend? c’mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you’re listening… let’s forget all of this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and… well, my job will be a lot easier.” He knew he saw brown eyes in Snowdin. He only hoped that person was still inside, fighting for freedom. This was a dangerous gamble. Sans knew that.

              He could see the hesitation at the offer. _Please_ , he begged as _their_ grip on the knife loosened and tightened repeatedly. He panted, trying his damnedest to get his stamina back. If this failed, he had to be ready for one hell of a fight. He watched _them_ continue to internally struggle before _they_ suddenly shook _their_ head rapidly and hollered in aggravation.

              “No!” _They_ screamed, stumbling away from Sans and clutching _their_ locket with _their_ free hand. “We’re so close! Why are you fighting this now? Stop it!” Sans had never heard _them_ say a word, and it was jarring to hear such a demonic voice come from such a small body.

              “No!” It sounded like _they_ were arguing with _themself_ before suddenly throwing _their_ knife to the ground and kicking it in Sans’s direction.

              “No! Give that back!” _they_ hissed. Sans snatched the knife and pocketed it before _they_ could retrieve it. Then he readied his Gaster blaster. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he wanted to be prepared.

              “Get out!” _They_ commanded as _they_ ripped the locket off _their_ neck and hurled it as far away as possible. _They_ sank to _their_ knees, and _their_ SOUL hovered over _their_ head. Sans stepped back. Was this an ACT? Were _they_ just trying to get his guard down before going in for the kill?

              An attack never came. Instead, the SOUL vibrated loudly, and a crimson liquid dripped down and through the ground. The SOUL’s color shifted slightly from a blood red to a lighter, brighter red. Then, it flew back into _their_ body.

              Sans realized he never attacked during that entire time. That had been his chance, and he blew it. When _they_ rose to _their_ feet, Sans was ready. _They_ looked him in the eye, confused and scared. He didn’t care. He released his Gaster blaster attack without a second thought.

              “Sans?”

              Sans recognized that voice. Memories he didn’t know he had flooded his vision. Memories of _them_ … but not. They looked the same, but the one in his memories was kind and friendly and tried their hardest to help monsterkind. He remembered conversations that never happened.

_“Sans!” A small body slammed into Sans’s back, trying to wrap their arms around him. He turned to see the kid beaming up at them. Monster Kid was behind them, bouncing eagerly. “Take us swimming! Don’t tell their parents!”_

_“shore, kiddo. wait, water you two planning?”_

_“Sans…”_ A new memory formed. _“I had a nightmare.” Sans sighed and opened his bedroom door for the kid. They ran right into him, crying quietly into his shirt._

_“c’mon, kiddo. we can watch tv until you feel better, ok?” the kid smiled and wiped their tears away, nodding in agreement._

_“Sans!”_ Another one? _the kid sprinted over when they spotted Sans at the sentry station in Waterfall. They ran over and tackled him in a hug._

_“hey, kiddo,” Sans greeted. “i saw you and pap had your ‘fight’. say, wanna go to grillby’s with me? you look like you could use some fuel.” The human cheered and nodded eagerly. “c’mon, I know a shortcut.” Sans teleported them to the front of Grillby’s._

_“Sans?”_ This one felt different. _“I have to reset.” He and the kid were laying in Waterfall, staring at the shimmering crystals overhead._

_“kid,” Sans trailed off, unsure of what to say. He shot a glance at the kid and realized they were crying. He pulled himself into a sitting position. The kid did as well._

_“I… I can do better. I can break the barrier for good. I can save Asgore.” The kid cried heavily at the words, burying their face in their hands._

_“can’t this be enough? can’t we be done with this?” Sans pleaded._

_“One last time. That’s it. I promise.”_

_“not that i’ll remember that promise,” Sans mumbled before pulling the kid’s shoulders so that they looked at him. “make sure this is the last time. please.”_

_“I promise,” the kid repeated firmly, determination sparkling in their eyes._

Sans snapped back to reality right as his Gaster blaster pierced through their left eye. They let out a scream and collapsed to the ground. All of Sans’s anger dissipated as they ran to the kid’s side.

              “kid?” Sans whispered over their weak form.

              “You… saved me,” they replied before closing their eyes. “No… more… resets.”

              “you can reset if it’ll save your life, kid. i… i won’t be mad,” Sans assured them nervously. They shook their head.

              “Promised.” They passed out. Sans checked their stats just to be sure. Their LV was 1. Their EXP was zero. Out of curiosity, Sans checked the locket they had thrown aside. LV 19. Oh shit. Sans fucked up. Were they still alive?

              HP .001/20. Sans panicked as he looked around, hoping nobody was watching. How terrible would it look if the royal judge was caught carrying the murderer of the Underground to safety? As an afterthought, he snatched the locket as well before teleporting back to Snowdin.

              Sans reappeared in his house after a moment. He eased the kid onto the couch and was overwhelmed with exhaustion. The kid’s blood stained his shirt and the couch. Their eye was completely gone. The kid was definitely hurt worse than him, but he wasn’t really doing much better. One check of his HP explained why. .00001/1 Yeah. That wasn’t great.

              _focus,_ Sans told himself. The kid needed healing. Sans was admittedly not great at healing magic, but he was sure he could at least help at least a little.

              “sorry if this hurts,” he mumbled as he gently placed his hands on their chest. He channeled as much magic as he could muster into them, cursing when he felt even more of his limited HP drain. He had to pull his hands away before he died, too.

              Once his hands were off of them, he fell to the ground in a heap. Their eye had stopped bleeding, but it would need a lot more help. Eh, that was a worry for another day. He checked their stats once more, just to make sure they could survive the night. HP 1/20. They were alive. Thank goodness.

              Sans remained on the ground for a few minutes as the reality of the situation settled. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and finally get some rest, but he couldn’t stop yet. There was work to be done.


End file.
